Sectional wheel chair assembly



Se t. 6, 1966 c. R. BERTHELSEN ETAL 3,270,353

SECTIONAL WHEEL CHAIR ASSEMBLY Filed May 10, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG I FIG 2 FIG 3 INVENTORS CALVIN R. BERTHELSEN OWEN W. BERTHELSEN p 6, 1966 c. R. BERTHELSEN ETAL 3,270,353

SECTIONAL WHEEL CHAIR ASSEMBLY Filed May 10, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.4

, INVENTOR5 CALVIN R. BERTHELSEN OWEN W. BERTHELSEN United States Patent 3,270,353 SECTIONAL WHEEL CHAIR ASSEMBLY Calvin R. Berthelsen, Omaha, and Owen W. Berthelsen,

Lincoln, Nehru, assignors to Century Mfg. (10., a corporation of Nebraska Filed May 10, 1965, Ser. No. 454,380 Claims. (Cl. 5-81) This invention relates to wheel chair assemblies and more particularly it is an object of this invention to provide a sectional wheel chair assembly having a wheeled undercarriage, a seat, and a seat-supporting lift frame which is removably attached to the undercarriage whereby the seat can be lifted by its lift frame and the lift frame, in turn, can be raised and lowered by a lifting device re'leasably engageable with suitable means on the lift frame.

The movement of invalids with minimum attendant labor becomes more important as the cost of labor goes higher and higher.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an assembly as described with the advantage that a patient seated in the sectional wheel chair assembly can ride comfortably in its seat while being transported from his bed to a lifting device suitable for the use of power means for the lifting of the seat from its undercarriage and the moving of the seat into a bath tub.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for more safely handling a patient in the process of transferring the patient from one piece of handling equipment to another through the provision of a seat and means for releasably mounting the seat on each piece of equip ment so that the seat can be transferred from one piece of equipment to the other without the necessity for removing the patient from the safety and comfort of the seat.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, drawings and claims, the scope of the invention not being limited to the drawings themselves as the drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating a way in which the principles of this invention can be applied.

Other embodiments of the invention utilizing the same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a frontal elevation of the sectional wheel chair assembly of this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a rear elevation of the wheel chair assembly of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the wheel chair assembly.

FIGURE 4 is a detailed view of the rearward end of the seat and seat-supporting lift frame of the invention shown being engaged by a portion of a lifting assembly.

The sectional wheel chair assembly of this invention is generally indicated at in FIGURE 1 and comprises a wheeled undercarriage 12 which preferably has four widely spaced wheels 14 of which a forward two of the Wheels 16 are adapted to rotate each in a single plane extending forwardly and rearwardly, While the rearward two of the wheels 20 are of the caster type adapted to pivot about a vertical axis through a mounting 22.

Right and left foot rests 24 are disposed adjacent the forward wheels 16 and extend forwardly thereof, the foot rests 24 being fixed to the undercarriage 12 in a suitable manner.

A seat 25 is disposed above the undercarriage 12 in a suitable position above and to the rearward of the foot 3,270,353 Patented Sept. 6, 1966 rests 24 for the patients comfort, and beneath the seat 25 is disposed a pair of longitudinally extending members 26 of the undercarriage 12, the members 26 being disposed in parallelism and being spaced a substantial distance apart and extending rearwardly to upwardly-extending undercarriage members 27, which latter are preferably integral with the longitudinally extending members 26, the upwardly-extending members 27 each having a rearwardly extending frame member 28 connected to the upper end thereof, respectively, the members 28 extending longitudinally rearwardly then being connected to hand-grip receiving frame portions 30, which latter extend to the right and left, respectively, receiving handgrips 32, the frame members 26, 27, 28, and 30, all being integral with each other.

A large notch 34 in the undercarriage 12 is provided above the longitudinally extending members 26 and the vertically extending members 27 for the reception of the seat or chair 25 therein.

A seat-supporting frame, or seat-supporting lift frame, or lift frame 38 is provided having a first portion 40 and suitable means generally indicated at 42 is provided for connecting the first lift frame portion 40 to the seat 25 comprising a cross bar 44 disposed above and next to the forwardly and rearwardly or longitudinally extending spaced under members 48 of the first lift frame portion 40 and a suitable bolt 50 is swivelly connected to the seat 25 in the center of the bottom of the seat 25 at the upper end of the bolt 50, the bolt 50 being rotatably disposed through the connecting bar 44 as shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 1, there being a washer 52 between the bar 44 and the seat 25.

As thus described, the seat 25 is pivotally mounted on the bar 44.

The lift frame 38 has a second portion 60 having two transversely spaced parallel vertically extending standards 62, which latter are received between the upwardly extending frame members 27, the standards 62 being suitably, and preferably integrally, secured to the rearward ends of the lift frame members 48.

The invention further has a first locking means generally indicated at having a bar 82 extending horizontally across and attached to the forward sides of the upper ends of the standards 62.

The invention further has second releasable mutually interlocking means generally indicated at and which specifically is a pair of studs 92 which latter have shank portions, best seen in FIGURE 3 at 93 in dotted lines, and head portions seen in FIGURE 3 at 94; the shanks 93 snugly and slidably fit the notches 84, but the heads 94 are sufiiciently larger than the transverse width of the notches 84 that the heads 94 prevent the bar 82 from coming off of the studs 92 by movement in any but a vertically upward direction.

The studs 92 are connected to the upwardly extending undercarriage frame members 27, respectively. The members 27 form a means generally indicated at for attaching the second interlocking means represented by the studs 92 to the carriage 12, or that is, to the remainder of the carriage 12, whereby when the first and second interlocking means, namely, the bar 82 and the studs 92 are interlocked, the seat 25 is thereby indirectly mounted on the carriage 12.

It will be seen that the first and second interlocking means, bar 82 and studs 92, are rigid, and are capable of being interlocked so that no substantial horizontal shifting of the first and second interlocking means with respect to each other is possible while they are interlocked thereby preventing an undesired tipping of the seat.

It will be further seen that stability is gained by pro viding a third and fourth rigid releasable mutually interlocking means, studs 200, lift bars 220, of a rigid nature such that when interlocked, substantially no horizontal shifting with respect to each other is possible whereby the seat lift frame 38 cannot shift substantially horizontally at such times with respect to the lift memher.

The invention further comprises third and fourth releasable mutually interlocking means 200 and 210, respectively, the third interlocking means 200 having as parts thereof a pair of studs 202, which latter have large heads 204 on the rearward side of shank portions 206 of the studs, the shank portions being snugly but slidably received between the walls of vertically extending notches.

The notches 210 extend .downwardly into the upper sides of lift bars 220, which latter extend horizontally across, but are not attached to, the rearward side of the standards 62, the lift bars 220 extending across the rearward sides of upright members 30 of a vertically moving lift assembly 300 of a lifting device generally indicated at 310, the majority of which is not shown herein.

When the lifting device 310 moves upwardly with the studs 200 received in the notches 210, then since the studs 200 are mounted on rearward sides of stud carriers 320 attached to and extending between the standards 62 of the lift frame 38, then the lifting device 310 is enabled to lift the lift frame 38 so that its bar 82 moves upwardly from and off of the studs 92.

It will be seen that the studs 200 form a third interlocking means and the notch members 210 form a fourth interlock-means, the said third and fourth interlocking means being releasably and mutually interlockable with a third interlocking means represented by the studs 200 being atttached to the seat lift frame 38.

In operation, when the fourth interlocking means represented by the notch members 210 is attached to the lift 310, then the seat-supporting lift frame 38 can be lifted from the undercarriage 12 for disposing a patient carried in the seat 25 into new places as controlled by the lifting device 310.

As thus described, this invention has fulfilled the objectives above set forth.

From the foregoing description, it is thought to be obvious that a sectional wheel chair assembly constructed in accordance with our invention is particularly well adapted for use, by reason of the convenience and facility with which it may be assembled and operated, and it will also be obvious that our invention can be changed and modified without departing from the principles and spirit thereof, and for this reason, we do not wish to be understood as limiting ourselves to the precise arrangement and formation of the several parts herein shown in carrying out our invention in practice, except as claimed.

We claim:

1. A sectional wheel chair assembly comprising a wheeled undercarriage, a seat, a seat-supporting lift frame having a first portion, means connecting said first portion to said seat, said seat lift frame having a second portion, first and second releasable rigid mutually interlocking means, means attaching said first rigid interlocking means to said first seat lift frame portion, means attaching said rigid second interlocking means to said carriage and said first and second interlocking means being so constructed that when said first and second interlock ing means are interlocked, said first and second interlocking means are prevented from horizontally shifting with respect to each other sufficiently to substantially prevent horizontal shifting of said seat with respect to said carriage, third and fourth rigid releasable mutually interlocking means, means rigidly attaching said third rigid interlocking means to said seat lift frame whereby when said fourth rigid interlocking means is attached to a lift said seat-supporting lift frame can be lifted from said undercarriage, said third and fourth rigid interlocking means being so constructed that when they are interconnected substantially no horizontal shifting of said third and fourth rigid interlocking means with respect to each other is possible.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which said first and second releasable mutually interlocking means comprise a pair of spaced studs and notched means for receiving said studs, respectively.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which the third and fourth releasable mutually interlocking means comprise a pair of spaced studs and means for receiving said spaced studs, respectively.

4. The combination of claim 1 in which said undercarriage has two frame portions disposed on opposite sides of said lift frame first portion, and means on said undercarriage frame portions in a position for engaging the underside of said seat at times when said first and second releasable mutually interlocking means are in locking position for frictionally preventing said seat from turning with respect to said undercarriage.

5. The combination of claim 1 in which said means connecting said first portion of said seat-supporting lift frame to said seat comprises a pivotal connection permitting said seat to rotate about a vertical axis.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,368,390 1/1945 Winter 5-86 2,481,382 9/1949 Bennett 297-390 2,509,972 5/1950 Gottfried 297-134 2,539,577 1/1951 Hack 5-81 3,132,895 5/1964 Pollington 297-134 3,147,039 9/1964 Smith et a1 5-86 3,152,836 10/1964 Swan 297-445 FOREIGN PATENTS 353,478 9/1905 France.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

'CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Examiner. 

1. A SECTIONAL WHEEL CHAIR ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A WHEELED UNDERCARRIAGE, A SEAT, A SEAT-SUPPORTING LIFT FRAME HAVING A FIRST PORTION, MEANS CONNECTING SAID FIRST PORTION TO SAID SEAT, SAID SEAT LIFT FRAME HAVING A SECOND PORTION, FIRST AND SECOND RELEASING RIGID MUTUALLY INTERLOCKING MEANS, MEANS ATTACHING SAID FIRST RIGID INTERLOCKING MEANS TO SAID FIRST SEAT LIFT FRAME PORTION, MEANS ATTACHING SAID RIGID SECOND INTERLOCKING MEANS TO SAID CARRIAGE AND SAID FIRST AND SECOND INTERLOCKING MEANS BEING SO CONSTRUCTED THAT WHEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND INTERLOCKING MEANS ARE INTERLOCKED, SAID FIRST AND SECND INTERLOCKING MEANS ARE PREVENTED FROM HORIZONTALLY SHIFTING WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER SUFFICIENTLY TO SUBSTANTIALLY PREVENT HORIZONTAL SHIFTING OF SAID SEAT WITH RESPECT TO SAID CARRIAGE, THIRD AND FOURTH RIGID RELEASABLE MUTUALLY INTERLOCKING MEANS, MEANS RIGIDLY ATTACHING SAID THIRD RIGID INTERLOCKING MEANS TO SAID SEAT LIFT FRAME WHEREBY WHEN SAID FOURTH RIGID INTERLOCKING MEANS IS ATTACHED TO A LIFT SAID SEAT-SUPPORTING LIFT FRAME CAN BE LIFTED FROM SAID UNDERCARRIAGE, SAID THIRD AND FOURTH RIGID INTERLOCKING MEANS BEING SO CONSTRUCTED THAT WHEN THEY ARE INTERCONNECTED SUBSTANTIALLY NO HORIZONTAL SHIFTING OF SAID THIRD AND FOURTH RIGID INTERLOCKING MEANS WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER IS POSSIBLE. 